UC Merced is holding graduation ceremonies this weekend. What to know
It’s graduation season, and that means proud family, friends and faculty will be in Merced this weekend to help students celebrate commencement at UC Merced.
The university will hold ceremonies on Friday through Sunday:
- 6 p.m. Friday: Graduate Division (master’s and Ph.D. degrees)
- 9 a.m. Saturday: School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (bachelor’s degrees)
- 9 a.m. Sunday: School of Engineering and School of Natural Sciences (bachelor’s degrees)
The ceremonies will be held outdoors at the Recreation Field.
The weather will be warm, but not scorching for the ceremonies. The National Weather Service predicts a highs of 94 degrees on Friday, 89 on Saturday and 90 on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the speakers for each ceremony:
- Friday: Emily Reed, class of ’07, ’13, is a tenured biology professor at Merced College. She will share her story with more than 100 master’s and doctoral degree candidates and their guests at the Graduate Division ceremony on Friday. A Merced native, Reed began her academic path at Merced College and transferred to UC Merced as a member of its inaugural class.
- Saturday: Dr. Zi Wang, ’11, will address graduates of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts on Saturday. Wang is a board-certified vascular neurologist, physician leader and proud alumnus of UC Merced, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in public health.
- Sunday: Christien Lindblom, ’11, regional director at Campos EPC, will address graduates from the schools of Engineering and Natural Sciences on May 17. Nearly two decades after stepping onto the UC Merced campus for the first time as a student, Lindblom returns as an entrepreneur, award-winning leader and an advocate for women engineers.
Tickets are required for entrance into the venue, according to UC Merced.
Information about tickets, parking, graduate gear and prohibited items (no balloons, air horns for example) is available on the UC Merced website at commencement.ucmerced.edu.
UC Merced says guests are encouraged to arrive early and allow at least 30 minutes for parking, walking to the venue and ticketing. Graduates are allowed up to two vehicles for themselves and their guests.
Those unable to attend can watch the ceremonies live on the university’s YouTube page.
